tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11958440909284555672017-12-13T06:10:04.754-08:00Kittenbear Business Blogtamtam dondoladzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02618508978301284094noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195844090928455567.post-66159169640225032522017-09-26T15:40:00.006-07:002017-09-26T15:40:56.699-07:00Garmin Edge 1030 In-Depth Review <br /><br /><img height="266" src="https://www.dcrainmaker.com/images/2017/08/Garmin-Edge-1030-Main-Header_thumb.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After over three years, <b><a href="http://bestgarminproducts.com/garmin-edge/">GARMIN EDGE</a></b> has updated its flagship GPS navigation computer with a new edition – the Edge 1030. This new large-screen style unit features a longer battery life along with a new external battery pack option. Not only that, it adds in Bluetooth Smart sensor support, FirstBeat Training load metrics, Rider to Rider messaging, and more.<br /><br />I’ve been riding with the unit for quite a while now and have a pretty good grasp on all these features, so much that it’s definitely in-depth review time. Also, the unit starts shipping today (yes, really). The question is – is the new Edge 1030 worth the price? And more importantly, how well are all these new features implemented? I set out to answer these questions.<br /><br />As always, once I’m done with this media loaner unit I’ll send it back to the Garmin folks in Olathe, Kansas. After which I’ll head out and get my own unit via normal retail channels. If you found the post useful, feel free to hit up the links at the bottom – I appreciate it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Let’s dive right into things with what’s new on the Edge 1030. And what you’ll see is that in many cases it’s more of an evolutionary upgrade than it is a revolutionary one. Which isn’t to say that’s bad – in fact, in many ways that’s good, as it minimizes the amount of issues you see at the outset. In any case, in usual DCR style, bulleted list here we come:<br /><br />– Totally revamped main user dashboard: This is pretty apparent from pretty much any photo you see here.<br />– New FirstBeat Recovery and Training Status metrics: We saw <a href="https://www.firstbeat.com/en/consumer-product/edge-1030/">these</a> introduced on <a href="https://www.firstbeat.com/en/consumer-product/garmin-forerunner-935/">FR935</a>/<a href="https://www.firstbeat.com/en/consumer-product/fenix-5/">Fenix 5</a> earlier this year, they mirror the same here.<br />– New External Battery Pack Option: You can now attach a secondary battery pack to the bottom using a locking mechanism.<br />– Longer battery life: Claimed at up to 20 hours internally, and then you can stack on another 24 hours with the battery pack.<br />– Trendline popularity routing: When creating routes, it’ll leverage all the data from Garmin Connect to find the best cycling routes across road, mountain, and gravel categories, meaning that it’s going to leverage where people actually ride.<br />– Support for Bluetooth Smart sensors: Like the Fenix 5 and FR935, you can now pair to Bluetooth Smart heart rate straps, speed, cadence, and power meter sensors.<br />– New Garmin Connect Mobile Course Creator: You’ll see improvements here in conjunction with the new Garmin Connect Mobile (GCM) that allows route creation more easily from the phone.<br />– New Garmin Connect Mobile Workout Creator: As part of the new GCM release, you can now create structured workouts on the phone (finally!).<br />– Rider to Rider Messaging: You can send/receive canned messages to other Edge 1030 users in your friends list.<br />– Real-time Strava Segment listings: The unit will now use your phone to show you actual Strava segments nearby as you ride along (not just pre-loaded ones), along with real-time data on those segments.<br />– New Strava Routes Connect IQ App (pre-loaded): This app allows you to pull your saved Strava Routes directly to your Edge 1030 (this will be released for all Edge Connect IQ compatible units).<br />– TrainingPeaks &amp; Best Bike Split Connect IQ apps pre-loaded: These will automatically be on your unit to begin with. Simple as that.tamtam dondoladzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02618508978301284094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195844090928455567.post-65740329347434945382017-04-17T05:18:00.000-07:002017-04-17T05:18:19.087-07:00The 7 Toughest Startup Lessons You Don't Want to Learn the Hard Way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/3x2/274/1412973925-7-toughest-startup-lessons-dont-want-learn-hard-way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/3x2/274/1412973925-7-toughest-startup-lessons-dont-want-learn-hard-way.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I started my first business at 19 years old and thought I knew it all. The business quickly grew to $500,000 in gross revenue with five employees in three states. Business was good, but because I didn’t learn how to manage my business, things quickly got out of control.<br /><br />Six years into the business, because of mismanaging the finances, I was $100,000 in debt. My dream of entrepreneurship had turned into a nightmare. This experience taught me some lessons that young entrepreneurs need to know.<br />According to the <a href="http://ecopreneurist.com/2011/12/12/poll-54-percent-of-young-americans-want-to-become-entrepreneurs-want-easier-credit-training/">Ecoprenuerist</a> 54 percent of young Americans (ages 18-34) want to become an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship can be wonderful if you build your business the right way.<a name='more'></a><br /><h2>1. Be clear about who your customer is</h2><br />If you’re a “jack of all trades,” you will have a tough time growing your business. Your efforts to grow, such as marketing, will be scattered. Seth Godin said, “If you try to reach the whole world you’ll end up reaching no one.”<br /><br />The more specific you can get as to who your ideal customer is the better. It will help you figure out the best way to find and reach new customers. Your efforts to find new business will be focused.<br /><h2>2. Don’t over promise and under deliver</h2><br />Brent Beshore at the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brent-beshore/signs-sabotaging-success_b_2441248.html">Huffington Post</a> says that if you promise your customers a miracle, you should deliver one. To grow your business, you have to be the kind of business that stands behinds it’s promise. When you start out in business there are going to be limits on what you can do, that’s ok. Focus on your strengths. <br />3. Stay organized<br /><br />When you’re not organized, it’s frustrating for everyone: your employees, your customers and your sanity! Organization is important to keep your business running smoothly. A lack of organization will repel new customers from doing business with you. Simplify things to keep your businesses organized. The <a href="http://theleanstartup.com/">lean start up</a> model is successful because of its simplicity.<br />4. Stay on top of your taxes<br /><br />There are entire libraries with books written specifically about taxes. It’s important to hire a professional! Mishandling taxes has destroyed many businesses. Don’t let history repeat itself with your business.<br /><h2>5. Focus on what’s important to growing your business</h2><br />One of the important lessons you can learn as an entrepreneur is where to focus your time. Spend time growing your business, not just in it.<br /><br />If you own a smart phone, you have the world's knowledge in your pocket. That can be a blessing or a curse. As you research ways to grow your business, you can quickly become the victim of information overload. Don’t get distracted by all the bright, shiny things that you read are the latest “must do” things for entrepreneurs.<br /><h2>6. Speed of implementation is crucial</h2><br />Entrepreneurs can have many good ideas, but the most successful entrepreneurs know how turn a good idea into a viable product or service for their business.<br /><br />You always want to put your best product out to your market, but realize that it takes time and feedback from your customers to get your best. Once you have an idea, get that idea out to your market as a beta version.<br /><br />Let your customers know this is a beta version that you’re building upon. Don’t worry about making it perfect at first. That feedback you get from your customers using the beta version will be invaluable in creating the final version.<br /><h2>7. Quickly get over failure and set-backs</h2><br />Fear of failure is one of the biggest things that holds entrepreneurs back. Whether it’s <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison">Thomas Edison</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/23/steve-jobs-failure_n_1025732.html">Steve Jobs</a> or any other successful entrepreneur, a common theme you’ll find is failure.<br /><br />Successful entrepreneurs view failure as a momentary set back, not a business-ending event. When you experience failure, realize it’s not the end of the world and determine to come back even stronger because of it.<br /><br />After I learned these lessons, I was able to pivot and get my business back on track. My business grew as a result, and I was able to pay off all the debt. Today I operate a successful business from Maui, Hawaii.<br /><br />Don’t be that “know it all” entrepreneur. Learn these lessons now and your business will thrive.tamtam dondoladzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02618508978301284094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195844090928455567.post-87054375899925880842017-04-07T05:13:00.000-07:002017-04-17T05:18:29.619-07:00The 5 Pillars, or 'Fingers,' of Successful Entrepreneurship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20160324164455-shutterstock-343071545.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20160324164455-shutterstock-343071545.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Entrepreneurship is not easy. According to the <a href="http://www.kauffman.org/multimedia/infographics/2013/kiea-interactive">April 2014 Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity</a>, 0.28 percent of adults per month started a new business in 2013.<br /><br />Out of those new businesses, the majority will not survive. So what sets the successful businesses apart from the failed ones? And what tools does a budding entrepreneur need to succeed?<br /><br />Any new business requires certain necessities to get started: hard work, a strong offering and a solid plan of action. In addition to these, I have come up with a handy set of five pillars of entrepreneurship that can provide a solid foundation for a new business and which every entrepreneur should utilize.<br /><br />Using the fingers on one’s hand as a metaphor, start at the thumb to count down the below five pillars of successful entrepreneurship:<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><h2>1. Envision </h2><br />The perfect entrepreneur understands how to capitalize on trends and paradigm shifts. They have the ability to predict new opportunities based on human behavior. They also understand that maintaining and communicating the vision consistently is the most important focus for continued success of the company.<br /><br />This creates the "thumbs up," and also signifies the most important pillar. The thumb is what closes the grip on the entire fist and touches on all the other fingers.<br /><h2>2. Enlist </h2><br />Once a vision is in place, entrepreneurs need to enlist people around the startup to support and grow their adventure. Whether it’s family members, investors, employees, customers, partners or potential acquirers, these are all an integral part of the beginning stages of a startup.<br /><br />This pillar is the index finger. This is the one used to point at people to call on them and ask for help and guidance.<br /><h2>3. Embark </h2><br />Many people have ideas and are even able to enlist people around these ideas. However, the majority fall short of actually taking the step and starting a business. Embarking is what sets leaders apart from followers, and most entrepreneurs from employees. <br /><br />There will always be a million reasons why not to take the plunge and everybody will serve as constant reminders on why it shouldn’t or can’t be done. This is the time to put the middle finger up and just move on with it!<br /><h2>4. Execute </h2><br />With a vision, team and the start of something great, it’s time to execute. Many groups fail here, and often additional or other entrepreneurs need to be brought in to do the job.<br /><br />The fourth finger, the ring finger, symbolizes commitment, hard work and resilience. Through better or worse, for richer or poorer, until liquidation or an exit do part.<br /><h2>5. Evolve </h2><br />Entrepreneurs can go through the entire cycle and succeed, but to have lasting success, they will need to continuously evolve. The only constant in a startup is change, and to succeed one needs to make a sworn (pinkie) promise not to fall into the trap of comfort and complacency.<br /><br />Nothing can guarantee the success of a new business, but using these five pillars can give entrepreneurs and their new business a solid foundation. When an entrepreneur has covered all five fingers, they can extend a hand, or at times a fist, and take the things they want.<br /><br />More importantly, however, they can give back to others by lending a hand to those around them.tamtam dondoladzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02618508978301284094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195844090928455567.post-19067970983897073612017-04-07T05:07:00.000-07:002017-04-17T05:18:43.689-07:00Generate Great PR on a Shoestring Budget With These 5 Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/3x2/274/1414183636-generate-pr-shoestring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/3x2/274/1414183636-generate-pr-shoestring.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />For startups, public relations is one of the most valuable and cost-effective pieces of a marketing mix in comparison to other channels, such as advertising.<br /><br />Top-tier publications create broad awareness and give your company credibility as a leader in your industry. Trade publications are great for driving qualified leads. To get all of this coverage, it helps to have an interesting and differentiated product and a unique point of view. The following are five key points to consider as you launch your PR program.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><h2>1. Use PR to drive your business, not the other way around.</h2><br />First and foremost, you must focus on growing your business. PR will help raise awareness and drive qualified leads, but don't pursue PR for its own sake. As exciting as press coverage is, resist the temptation to prioritize press over what is best for your business.<br />For example, you might have a great content idea that you know will be of interest to clients, but isn’t of great interest to top-tier journalists. If you think it will move the needle with clients, publicize it. Generating qualified leads for sales is the highest priority in marketing. General awareness is second.<br /><br />Case studies can be a great tool for raising awareness, but they are not a “one-size-fits-all” solution for every startup. Case studies can tell a story about the value of your product through a recognizable brand.<br /><br />They can be problematic, however, if the purpose of your business is to secure your client’s sensitive data. Your client might not want to publicize the use of your service for a number of reasons. If your client is open to a case study, you will likely need to incentivize them with free or discounted product.<br /><br />Most good case studies will take a tremendous amount of effort for your B2B tech startup. You cannot fully control the outcome, either, as you will ultimately be dependent on your client for approval. In short, you can’t rely on case studies to drive your PR program or your business forward.<br /><h2>2. Company spokespeople must have a unique point of view.</h2><br />Once you have committed to prioritizing your business, you are ready to build a successful PR program. Now you need to have something newsworthy to say to the media.<br /><br />The success of your PR program hinges on your executives’ clarity about company strategy and industry direction, and of course, their unique point of view. It will certainly help if your company has an interesting product and your spokespeople have the experience and credentials to validate their role as thought leaders.<br /><br />How do you establish your spokespeople as thought leaders with a newsworthy point of view? Start with rapid content creation. Come up with 50 interesting topics and hire freelance writers to help your team produce blogs on all of them. Incorporate the blogs into ebooks. Pull data from your platform for research whitepapers.<br /><br />Show, don’t tell, the media how fascinating you are, and your PR program will take off.<br /><h2>3. Quality over quantity.</h2><br />Work on getting coverage in high-value publications, both top-tier and mid-tier, rather than getting coverage in the highest number of publications with no regard for quality. Both top-tier publications and mid-tier trade publications can be of great value to your business. An exclusive in The Wall Street Journal may be worth more than coverage in dozens of smaller publications.<br /><br />You will have to work your way up to coverage in top-tier publications, so don’t turn down smaller ones as you grow. Publication quality, however, isn’t only defined by reaching the biggest number of readers. Publications specific to your industry will likely drive more downloads of your content and more qualified leads.<br /><h2>4. A balanced approach to measurement.</h2><br />Strike a balance between these two philosophies:<br />“If you’re not measuring, you’re not marketing.”<br />“What’s measurable isn’t always meaningful, and what’s meaningful isn’t always measurable.”<br /><br />It is important to set and meet your quantifiable press-coverage goals every quarter, to ensure you stay focused on creating great content, raising awareness for your company, and getting return on investment from your PR efforts.<br /><br />To deliver quality over quantity in your PR program, however, do not focus solely on the amount of coverage you get in comparison to your competitors. Driving your PR team to increase the number of pieces of coverage, regardless of publication quality or readership, may not achieve your awareness and lead-generation goals.<br /><br />Be sure to aggressively measure your PR results, and make sure those results are meaningful.<br /><h2>5. PR freelancers are perfect for startups.</h2><br />Now that you have your strategic priorities in place, newsworthy content to share, and a plan for how to effectively measure your PR, you’re ready to find a great PR partner to help you get coverage. PR freelancers allow startups to focus on the business, not meeting a retainer.<br /><br />The most important criteria in selecting a PR partner is their fit with your leadership and alignment with your business objectives. If you have a marketing team that has a good understanding of PR and creates interesting content, a great freelancer can be the perfect resource to help you place articles, land media briefings and grow your media presence along with your business.tamtam dondoladzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02618508978301284094noreply@blogger.com0